3-5yr old childrens disco help needed!...

Hi all, its been a while since i have been on here!
Due to work commitments i have pretty much had to retire from mobile discos, but have kept all my gear for whenever the opportunity may arise to get back out there.
Well, the chance has now presented itself in the form of my daughters Frozen themed birthday party in December......
Obviously, i was reluctant to do it as i wanted to enjoy the party with her, but due to the time of year etc, we have struggled to get entertainment in the form of a decent childrens entertainer, so have had to put together something to fill 4 hours with, which includes myself dusting off the disco gear.
So far the plan is that i will play music for the 1st and 4th hours, whilst we have got 'Elsa' turning up to entertain the kids for the middle two.
Now the problem...

What on earth other than the obvious 'Frozen' tracks do i play?! (i do have the added bonus that my soon to be 3 year old daughter likes dance music :D )

It will be my youngest ever crowd, and i certainly don't want to let the family down.

Any track suggestions will be most be most appreciated!

Cheers
S.

My first thought is that 4hrs is waaay too long for a 5yr olds birthday party. You probably know yourself from being a parent, but their attention span maxes out at about 45mins so you've got a real battle on your hands keeping them occupied for 4hrs. Even your Elsa lookalike probably isn't expecting to keep them engaged for 2hrs solid (childrens entertainers usually assume that there'll be a 30min break in the middle for food - and that they haven't been at the party for an hour already when they arrive). I've done a couple of parties for the 6-8yr old age group which have been this length and for both the parents had been told to come along for a bit any time in the 4hrs and then wander off when they feel like it as both parents and kids will struggle for this kind of time period. One of those parties ended up with the police being called out as the parents got bored, drunk and rowdy as well, but both resulted in a half empty hall and a rubbish atmosphere for most of the 4hrs as kids and adults wandered randomly in and out :P

Anyway, that's just my opinion based on my experience, back to the OP...

For a 2 hour 5yr old's party I would usually expect to play music for about 45mins max (15mins at the beginning, 20mins while they're eating and about 10mins during games) the remainder of the time would be.... playing games and leading dances. Otherwise you're going to have a hall full of kids running around in circles (and if you have any older ones there, probably organising their own games).

If you want a list of pure music though, go with anything fast & cheesy. 5yr olds won't know what's in the charts, they'll just know what they have seen in films and on the TV, and they'll dance to anything they like the sound of:

DJ Otzi - Hey Baby
Mambo No.5 (or the Bob the Builder version)
Steps
LMFAO - Party Rock anthem
PJ & Duncan - Ready to Rhumble
Pitbull - don't stop the party
Katy Perry - anything
One direction - anything
Taylor swift - anything (definitely Shake it off)
Olly Murs - almost anything
Bieber - Baby
Gangnam Style
What does the Fox Say
Cha Cha Slide
Chocolate
Y.M.C.A
Macarena
5,6,7,8
Cotton eye joy
Follow Da Leader
Let it Go / Do you want to Build a snowman? / etc

Hope that helps a little?

Julian

Let it go - on repeat :p

Not seen frozen so don't understand what all the fuss is about?
A snow machine and dry ice would be a nice touch.
Have a look on Youtube, there have been loads of frozen parties:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psyobMt47JI

I agree that 4 hours is a long time for that age group. When I did the music for an in-store kids parties at a bookshop we had a few dancing games, a craft section (decorating Easter Eggs etc) a break for food and a story all in 2 hours and that was about right.

Thanks all for the replies and suggested tracks!
Ive since been informed by the wife that its actually only 3 hours long not 4, which makes it easier especially as 'Elsa' is on for 2 hours, so i've only got to find suitable music for an hour... :D

Has anybody had any experience of playing any of the 'Go! Go! Go!'s (appear on Nick Jnr channel) tracks out?
My daughter seems to really enjoy their music, and to be honest, its quite catchy and very Steps-like...... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISlR...Q-Fo2RpccXz-qA
They also do a 'Happy Birthday' track.

Lighting wise, i take it the more colourful the better?
Im planning on taking a couple of ImpossibLED's for the obvious bright dots, along with a pair of ADJ Vpar's to add a subtle blue colour wash to the stage.
It was mentioned that kids like to see changing GOBO patterns etc?, but to be honest, that will mean taking my Abstract gear which is pretty ineffective in a hall lit by daylight....

Cheers,
S.

I do 2 hour kids disco, Frozen singalongs go well, they'll know all the words, line them up and move the mic alone the line, they love it.

I've worked with Elsa's, most of them don't seem to do much and the kids get fed up with them after 30 mins, so check she actually has 2 hours worth of material, most do not.

The list of music above is perfect.

Being a children's entertainer/magician I will suggest you make sure you have the One Direction tracks as these are popular with most children. I have never done more than a 2 and 1/2 hr party. Generally 2 hrs is the best and that includes food and a magic show after.

The party last week was Frozen theme and they loved the snow machine but I had to limit it's use as the floor can get slippery. Doing the same again this week, luckily the floor is wooden boards in an old village hall.

I wish you a good party.